Horford, the No. 3 pick in June, is quite simply, an equipment upgrade for the Hawks. Their only true big men last season were Zaza Pachulia and Shelden Williams, two players who, if you described as "serviceable," would make you be considered generous.

He reported to the Hawks on Day 1 with a championship pedigree and a body that John Henry would envy.

His experience of going 12-0 in the NCAA tournament over the last two years was far different than his teammates who didn't even sniff the postseason. His hulking, 6-10, 245-pound frame was in stark contrast to the pipe-cleaner body of other hyped rookies Kevin Durant and Corey Brewer.

After coming out of the gates strong and steady through the first 20 games, Horford's own strength was his downfall in game No. 21 as he misjudged a block attempt on Toronto's T.J. Ford and was called for a flagrant foul for crashing down on the diminuative guard with his hefty arms.

The flagrant resulted in an automatic one-game suspension for Horford and an ambulance ride to the hospital for Ford.

Rather than worry about the suspension, or clearing his name and assuring the media that it wasn't a dirty foul (which it wasn't), Horford's first concern was the well-being of Ford. The rookie visited Ford in the hospital the night of the game, an act of maturity and sportsmanship that belies the "1986" printed on the Date of Birth line on his Dominican Republic birth certificate.

In the game Horford missed due to suspension, the hot Hawks fell to the Pistons by 10, something that Big Al's 9.0 points per game average surely could have helped.

Unfazed by the loss he couldn't help and the foul he didn't mean to make, Horford returned to the lineup and his production didn't skip a beat. He chipped in with six points in a win against the Bobcats and dominated the Jazz with 17 points and seven rebounds in another Atlanta W.

Horford overtakes the top spot from Durant this week, and if the former Florida Gator and his new team continue at this rate, he could be staying at No. 1 for a while.

Last Week: 2 | Drafted: 3
Back in August, the 2007 Draft class congregated at the Rookie Photo Shoot and voted that Horford was the player "most ready to contribute right away." It turns out they were right.

Last Week: 1 | Drafted: 2
Durant followed up his shining, shimmering, splendid MSG debut by going 4-for-17 from the floor against the Timberwolves with eight turnovers and shooting 3-for-11 against Utah, matching his season low in points with six. He surrenders the top spot for the first time this season.

Last Week: 4 | Drafted: 6
Remember in the Poltergeist II where the creepy little girl says, "They're baaaacckkkkk"? She could have been referring to Yi supporters who have some wind in their sails after a spectacular week from the Bucks rookie, averaging 15.8 points on .640 shooting over four games.

Last Week: 3 | Drafted: Undrafted
After not reaching double-digit scoring since December 1, Moon dropped 13 points and 16 points in back-to-back games with the Celtics and Clippers last week. His consecutive games with a block streak has reached 18 games, good, but not quite at Josh Smith level.

Last Week: 6 | Drafted: 40 by Washington in 2002
Navarro had his third 25-plus point outing of the season with his 27-point outburst in an upset win over the Magic. Kevin Durant is the only other rookie to score 25 points or more in a game this season.

Last Week: 7 | Drafted: 5 by Boston
It must be nice for Sonics fans to hear Green say this about the tandem he creates with Durant, "We learn a lot from each other, helping each other out. You know, he has his games where he's on, and I have mine. We're going to complement each other by creating mismatches against every team we play against. We'll be very dangerous. This is our rookie year. We're going through tough times right now, and the only thing we can do is just get better."

Last Week: 9 | Drafted: 17
Williams' line against the Kings on Tuesday: 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two steals ... EIGHT BLOCKS! Reading across his line is like going to a party and assessing the atmosphere and being pleased by the hors d'oeuvres, drinks and music but then being TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY by the Wii Bowling. (Don't knock it till you try it.)

Last Week: 8 | Drafted: 21 by Philadelphia
Here's some motivation for Daequan Cook to stick through the tough times in Miami: Bruce Bowen made the Heat's 20th Anniversary Team and only played 109 games with the franchise. If Cook can do what he's doing for five years, he would be a virtual lock for the 25th Anniversary squad.

Last Week: The Next 10 | Drafted: 35 by Seattle
The No. 10 spot continues to be a tough spot to climb up the rankings from, as Nick Young and Corey Brewer have made one-and-done appearances in recent weeks. Now it's Big Baby's turn to try after putting up 16 points and nine rebounds in his first career start last week.